'Nearly Christmas Fair Time!'

Well, its November tomorrow folks! Not long now until the 'Christmas Fair' season starts and the present hunting and festive thinking starts in earnest.

I have been searching online for information on exactly when my favourite Christmas Fair of all at St Clement's Church, Croft Rd, Hastings Old Town is taking place this year but without success? I will be gutted if it turns out that there isn't going to be one this year as attending the Fair always 'fires up' my enthusiasm for Christmas and gets me into 'full throttle' as far as thinking of others goes.

In today's day and age it is ever more important for local communities to make an effort to advertise their events online as it is now possible to attract visitors from far and wide if you have an event alluring enough - the days of simply 'putting up a poster in the post office or local newsagents' have gone...

In a way I'm sad that this is the case. Community used to be a 'local' word and one which pulled everyone together in an area. Now the word has 'global' conortations to it and that rather dilutes things in my opinion. I guess I'm just a bit too old fashioned...

Ironically, bearing in mind my last statement, I DID find a good place to check for information on forthcoming Christmas Fairs in your area whilst searching online. Stallfinder.com has listings of local events right across the country and I have cobbled together the list below of upcoming Christmas events and Fairs for your diary from the site...  

Forthcoming Christmas Fairs & Events 2015

Nov 7th - Battle Christmas Shopping Market - Battle Memorial Hall 10AM - 3 PM (free entry)

Nov 7th - Brighton Christmas Gift Fair Spectacular - Brighton Racecourse - over 130 stalls (£3 Admission)

Nov 14th - Christmas Fair - The Lounge, Blind Veterans U.K. Greenways, Ovingdean, Brighton 1PM - 4PM (free entry)

Nov 14th - Stylish Christmas Fair -  The American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Falmer, Brighton. 2 Day Event (Admission £5 - Free  entry if you pay Sat on Sun)

Nov 20th - Christmas Shopping Night - Heathfield, St Richards Pre-School, 7PM-9PM
Dec 4th - Bexhill Late Night Christmas Market - Western Rd, Bexhill - 4PM-9PM
Dec 5th - Battle Christmas Shopping Market - Battle Memorial Hall 10AM - 3 PM (free entry)
Dec 5th - Poppinghole Christmas Fair - Poppinghole Farm,  Robertsbridge - 10AM-4PM
Dec 5th - St Michael's Hospice Cooden Beach Christmas Market - Cooden Beach Hotel - (Admission £1)
Dec 10th - Battle Late Night Christmas Shopping Market - Battle Memorial Hall 5PM - 9 PM (free entry)

Sadly, I'm a fair way behind with my Christmas shopping at the moment! I HAVE made a start and managed to secure a few prezzies for some of those on the list but I'm behind schedule I think for my Dec 1st deadline. 'Halloween' night tonight so the next 'calendar reminder' is Guy Fawkes Night on Nov 5th - time soon goes if you don't keep an eye on it you know!

'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'

Thinking about how hectic trying to organise a normal - no-frills Christmas is while I love this Christmas classic by 'Wizzard' I have severe reservations about the wonderfulness of a life spent in a continuously Christmas atmosphere!

Though I have been quite good at sticking to my game plan this year and now have all of my Christmas presents either on the way or wrapped and labelled there always seems to be something pressing that needs doing at this time of year which adds a stressful element to things.  One of the biggest handicaps I have when it comes to getting the most of of the festive season is that the remainder of my family either hate Christmas, find it 'boring as assholes' or simply make no effort to get into the Christmas spirit whatsoever! If at any time of the year you are surrounded by negativity it makes trying to get the most out of something you enjoy difficult. When I was at work I would often book up a Christmas holiday somewhere in order that I could be with people more inclined to have some fun. This has a double-edged sword feel about it though as Christmas is essentially about family and as lovely as new found friends might be they are have no history with you...

One year I went to Chester and stayed in a hotel there as part of a coaching holiday. The food was absolutely awesome and I took part in a fancy dress competition and met loads of interesting people including an ex- policeman who had a mutual interest in the Whitechapel murders of 1888. Not the most Christmassy of things to talk about over your Turkey and stuffing I will admit but it was a good ice breaker at the time!

Which one is the tree? HA HA- Chester, 2005.

This morning I have been trying to catch up on my Christmas card writing. I don't actually have enough cards which is a problem. Not having been able to get to as many Christmas Fairs this year It has not proven easy to get hold of really nice, home-made cards that I can afford. Some people at craft fairs charge in excess of £4 for a single card these days. That is way too much for someone like me who is out of work and so, however nice the cards are, I have to pass stallholders like them by...

'Bah Humbugism' does seem to be in full flight this year I have to say. There doesn't seem to be anywhere near as many Christmas trees in front room windows about the place nor as many fairy lights. Battle in East Sussex has turned out to be a kind of 'Mecca' for me this year.  Not only is it ablaze with festive lights the spirit of Christmas seems to hang in the air there. I wish I could get a hammock and spend a few nights sleeping in the shadow of the Abbey in front of the Christmas tree in the market square...

Oh well, at least Roy Wood was right with the festive feel when he wrote 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'. Like a lot of Christmas songs he actually recorded it in the summer of 1973 so the fact that he was able to tap into all of the great things about Christmas at that time of the year proves what a star he is!

Thank you Roy and a Merry Christmas to you!

'December! December! & Disaster At Battle'

Santa arrives in Battle!

Well folks, its DECEMBER and now thoughts of the 25th can really start to kick into gear. I have so many festive fantasies that go through my head at this time of year you can't imagine and not all of them involve being trapped in a lift with a beautiful Mrs Santa either! HA HA

No, I may be as keen on the opposite sex and a festive version of Leslie Phillips but Christmas is about TRADITIONS and CUSTOMS and FUN and GIVING and I love all of those things! While I must confess I could use WAY more cuddles than I get most of the year it is so easy to get into a happy mood at this time of the year just by opening your eyes to the festivities around you, tapping in to your inner child and remembering that sense of wonder you had as a kid, and just TALKING TO PEOPLE.
How in the hell have we lost the art of simple communication? I had a very disappointing day in Battle yesterday because my beloved (but temperamental - like his owner) camera developed a fault and would not allow me to take a single pic or get any festive footage.

Road Closed For Christmas Claus!

I went to Battle nice and early with a mind to walk out into the countryside from there and get some lovely autumn pictures of the gold, orange, green, red and yellows that our trees and bushes are full of at this time of the year. Sadly, once up to my knees in mud, the cold seemed to get into my camera and he started playing up. Giving the camera a rest I returned to the centre of Battle and then started getting some pics and film of the decorations about the town. Suddenly, the camera packed up on me for good and an error message which said 'Card not initialized' came up on the screen. Try as hard as I might by doing the usual things (removing the batteries for a while, cleaning the card) nothing could bring the camera back to life and so I was left without a chance of capturing Santa's arrival and the subsequent spectacles!

Was I fed up! This year seems to have been somewhat ill-fated for me as far as getting the most out of Christmas goes. I had to miss my favourite Christmas Fair this year again because of a clash of date with a pre-booked writing festival in London and yesterday I missed another lot of Festive Fayres to go to Battle! Good job I'm determined to enjoy Christmas, eh!

Aah, cute!

I DID meet some really nice people yesterday. Had a long chat with two ladies in one of the shops there and both were very sympathetic. Jill even tried to help sort me out by seeking advice on the Internet from her tablet and finding me an alternative card to try. In the end though I didn't want to risk wrecking her card for her so I accepted defeat graciously. Jill did promise to send me a few pictures from the day though and it is her pictures you can see here today. THANK YOU JILL.

I also met some people at the bus stop and we all had a jolly good laugh swapping Christmas stories and talking about old films. The bus we were all waiting for was held up by the arrival of Santa and his entourage so I did at least get to see that part of the fun. On the bus home there were two really naughty kids who kept clambering about all over the place and swinging off the safety straps. When they got off everyone in the bus moaned about them at which point I piped up that I would not be visiting their chimney this year now. "It just goes to show what they say is true doesn't it, Santa knows!" I said to much merriment...

Fun for the kids.

I will try and get back to Battle before Christmas and see if I can get my camera to play ball. Having sought out more help on the Internet at home I have now re-formatted the camera and card and both seem to be working o.k. again for now. I love my camera and hate HD because it takes up so much space on your hard drive and is so unnecessary for most of us. Can't replace my little pal though as you cannot buy non HD cameras these days. Oh well, I will just have to hope that my 'repairs' will keep him with me for a few more years yet...

Off on his next stop before The North Pole!

The big tree at night.

Merry Christmas! xxx

'Christmas Hampers'

The one thing I have always longed to win or be sent for Christmas is a whacking great big Christmas hamper! I don't quite understand why I feel that way because I don't drink very much (so bottles of wine or spirits wouldn't be much use) nor do I eat a lot of the stuff that would come with the hamper but there is just something irresistibly festive about the look of a giant whicker basket stuffed to the gunnels with exotic goodies!

I think part of my perception of Christmas hampers comes from my childhood. I recall that my mum used to be an agent for Kays catalogue when I was a kid and I often used to spend ages looking through the Toy section in the run up to Christmas dreaming about what I'd like to get.  Kays used to sell Christmas hampers as well and there would always be a few pages of pics. Reading through the list of all the goodies you could expect to receive in each version of the hamper really used to get my juices flowing! With ever so Christmassy pictures of tinsel and baubles amongst the hamper contents to make them seem even more desirable I suppose I have grown up with the vision of the Christmas hamper being the ultimate gift...

God, what a dream I must be for those marketing moguls who deliberately dream up such tactics to instill in people all the stuff mentioned above!

Whatever, if I could afford to do it I would always send out a well stocked Christmas hamper to my friends and loved ones at this time of year. I have been thinking a lot lately of how nice it would be if you won the lottery and was able to act upon a lot of the things that touch you in everyday life rather than simply have to shrug your shoulders and accept reality. There are so many worthy causes each Christmas that it would make me feel good to support and having the ability to make a real difference to someones life and enjoyment of the festive season would really make me feel even more like Father Christmas! I guess some of you will think that I have a 'God complex' but I certainly wouldn't want his job! No, for me, I'm all about being Santa, all about making a difference once a year and then letting the rest of the world try to work together to adopt my friendly attitude the rest of the year round. I don't believe in preaching, I believe in teaching...Goodness! That was profound! HA HA

Finally, don't forget that Santa will be visiting Battle in East Sussex later today to turn on their Christmas lights. He and his entourage are due to arrive at 1.50pm and I hope to be there to see him! If I manage to make it expect lots of pics of the festivities here soon...

See you there! Love Tony xx

'December '73'

I had a great day yesterday in the recording studio with Harvey Summers and have now completed a decent demo of another Christmas song, 'December '73'. The song is not as Christmassy as some of my others in  traditional respect (there are no sleigh bells or church bells on the record) but it has got a bouncy, 70's pop feel about it and plenty of baritone sax blasts which give it a 'Wizzardy' feel a la 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'. I am trying (over time) to record enough songs for a Christmas album but unemployment and dwindling savings will probably put paid to that project unless I can get back to earning decent wages again... Still, for now, I will just try to record the odd thing here and there to keep my hand in and see what happens.

My Youtube Christmas single (I 'release' one every Christmas) this year though is now likely to be a cover I did of David Essex' 'A Winters Tale'.

I have already put together a video for my version and will upload it to my Maybrick44 channel first week of Dec. Even though I love Christmas I do dislike the way all of the trees and decorations are put up in public places long before December. If those who currently say they hate Christmas hate it for one thing with a passion it is because the whole thing now starts earlier and earlier each year and has become so commercialised. I have to agree with them about that and think we really all ought to campaign more for Christmas to be confined to December.

Now, I know that is going to sound hypercritical seeing as I started this blog in the middle of October this year but I wanted to have plenty of festive musings here for those who catch on to this blog by the time Christmas actually comes. Christmas is as much about the build up as it is the BIG DAY and I just wanted to connect with a few like minded individuals to share in that build up.

I guess to be fair though that is the dilemma that faces most of the big companies and town councils as far as decorations go. I mean, if they leave it until the Christmas rush is beginning they don't have the time to put up the decorations or cope with it all, do they?

Oh well, ONE CALENDAR MONTH to the big one tomorrow! I hope you are doing well with getting all your presents in order early? I've only got two or three more to sort out so I'm relatively stress free! Hoping to spend next Sat in Battle, East Sussex enjoying the spectacle of Santa's arrival and the switching on of the Battle Christmas lights so Nov 30th will be when the official Christmas season starts for me this year!

Love to all. xx

'Battle, East Sussex At Christmas'

Regular viewers of my Maybrick44 Youtube channel will already know that I am a little in love with the town of Battle in East Sussex. Not only is a place steeped in history with Battle Abbey and some very old quintessentially English buildings it is a place where both tradition and fun go hand in hand. 
The annual Battle Scarecrow Festival is always a must visit for me and the sight of Battle Abbey lit up at night by the reflection of the Christmas lights from an ENORMOUS Christmas tree in the middle of the market square is just so Christmassy it hurts!

As with a lot of things of late, the finances have been more difficult to come by for Battle and its traders to pay for the town's spectacular display of festive fun but they are are a determined lot in Battle and there is going to be plenty of Christmassy things going on there again this year.

November the 30th will see Santa pop in on his annual visit en-route to The North Pole. He is expected at about 1.50pm and his sleigh will be pulled by the Langton Loons, accompanied by the Kingfisher Band, the 1st and 2nd Battle Rainbows, the Beavers and a variety of cartoon characters. Outside on the Abbey Green there will be Candy Floss, photo opportunities, singing from local soprano, Lucy Ashton, and other attractions so it will be a fantastic afternoon!

Then at about 5pm, Santa will leave the Memorial Hall come onto the Abbey Green and switch on Battle's Christmas lights for this year! There will be fancy dress, best decorated shop window and best dressed business competitions as well. 

Various choirs, Lucy Ashton & her friends will also sing by the big Christmas tree on the Abbey Green and visitors will  encouraged to sing-a-long at 8pm as well.

It is sure to be a fabulously festive day of fun  and one I hope not to miss so why not come along and join me? If you see a middle aged bloke wearing a black cowboy hat (or brown if its wet!) with a camera in his hand that will be me. I love meeting new people so come over and say Hi!

Above is a little video I took of Battle myself a year or two ago. It doesn't quite capture the magic of the place but it will give you some idea of the layout of the place and with a bit of imagination I'm sure you will be able to envisage how the place looks full of Christmas shoppers with happy faces!

'The Art Of Going Mad Decorating The House At Christmas'

I absolutely love people who make a real effort to decorate their homes in the run up to Christmas. As long as they don't put the decorations up too early they can go as mad as they like and I often stop, take a long look and have a smile. There is something magical about the power of light and when darkness falls in December if its not too chilly I often go for a walk around my area to look at peoples decorations. When I see a large Christmas Tree twinkling back its good will message to you through their living room windows it really makes me feel welcomed and as if I'm enjoying the same festive feeling that whoever lives there has got. Many a time I am tempted to knock on the door and say a few words. How lovely it would be to be asked in for a Christmas cuppa and a chat... Somehow, I never do though, people today are much more suspicious and scare very easily. I'm not the best looking chap in the world but I'm not the scariest! The sad thing is though that the PERCEPTION today is that people you don't know are to be feared whereas in the old days you were simply a 'neighbour from up the road'.  If I see people about in their front gardens or driveways though I often pass on a compliment. Sometimes this leads to a pleasant conversation for a few minutes with a mutual 'have a good christmas then' at the end. I'm not lucky enough to have a special lady, have no kids and I've never been married either so I often feel a bit 'left out' as much as I love the festive season. Little chats, smiles, waves and get-togethers with friends really help so much so please think of those you know who are unattached this Christmas. As wonderful a time as it is it is often pretty lonely for a lot of people and a tiny gesture of kindness can make a HUGE difference to someones day. 

The pictures you see here are of a house of VERY Christmas people I know who live in Battle, East Sussex. I am an amateur recording artist and have written a number of Christmas songs with Harvey Summers (that man again!). The first new Christmas song I recorded is called 'Its Christmas Time (Christmas All The Year Round)' and for the video for it I asked the inhabitants of this house whether they'd mind if I filmed the outside of the house. I'm glad to say that the family were only too happy to help and my video has now had over 9,000 views on my Youtube channel! ( Maybrick44)

Its amazing what fun you can have with a small video camera and the determination to sit and edit things until you are blue in the face using imovie. Just take a look at this...